Participating in this year´s annual toy drive organized by the Northeast Association of Realtors are: (from left) Pat Rice and Lillian Holloway of Re/Max Professionals in Chelmsford and Lynne Shattuck of ERA Morrison in Chelmsford.

They may not don red suits and climb down chimneys with sacks full of presents, yet thousands of Bay State Realtors have been playing the part of jolly old St. Nick throughout the year.

In addition to giving thousands of dollars to a relief fund set up in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, local Realtors have organized toy drives, donated clothing and food, and made sure students had help paying their college tuition.

It appears that Massachusetts Realtors aren’t feeling as tapped out as many others are from the recession or from giving to Sept.11 relief funds.

We’re just not seeing the giving fatigue that everyone’s talking about, said Anne Rendle, chief executive officer of the Northeast Association of Realtors.

In fact, Rendle believes that Realtors gave more of their time and money in 2001 than in past years. NEAR’s Community Service Committee, for example, expanded its holiday gift drive and established $10,000 scholarship funds at four colleges.

It seems like people have a focus on what’s important, said Rendle.

Last week, NEAR Realtors took time out to wrap more than 215 presents for children at the Leahy School in Lawrence, Lincoln School in Lowell and St. Ann’s Home in Methuen. During a similar drive last year, 163 gifts were given to the Leahy School and St. Ann’s Home, said Lillian Holloway, an agent with Re/Max Professionals in Chelmsford and chairman of the association’s Community Service Committee.

In addition to collecting more gifts this year, Holloway said that Realtors were also more generous with their donations, spending as much as $20 more on each gift they purchased than last year.

Earlier this year, NEAR Realtors also made one of their most significant contributions – four $10,000 donations that went to Merrimack College, Middlesex Community College, Northern Essex Community College and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Holloway said the colleges will invest the money and will give at least one $500 scholarship to a student each year in perpetuity.

This is a legacy from the real estate community that will go on indefinitely, said Holloway.

During Thanksgiving, NEAR members gave turkeys to Lawrence’s Lazarus House and Daybreak Shelter; Lowell’s Middlesex Shelter, Pawtucket House and Merrimack House; and St. Ann’s Home. Those shelters also received nearly $700 each from the Realtors.

It’s not just during the holiday season that Realtors have giving and community service on their minds. Throughout the year, Bay State Realtors organize golf tournaments and participate in walk-a-thons and other fund-raisers for the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross and other charities.

Full-Year Effort
In Berkshire County, Realtors try to do at least one community service project a month.

We realize that there are people out there who have needs every month of the year, said Sherry Street, a broker with Dayspring Realtors in Pittsfield and president of the Berkshire County Board of Realtors.

In November, Berkshire County’s Realtors gave more than 60 Thanksgiving food baskets to shelters and churches, and about 15 of them spent several hours during two days wrapping presents at a local mall as part of an American Red Cross fund-raiser.

Earlier in the year, Realtors in that region also collected $1,500 for the American Cancer Society by selling daffodils.

They also raised almost $4,000 for the Housing Relief Fund, which was set up by the National Association of Realtors to provide housing assistance to families affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In all, Bay State Realtors collected more than $113,000 for the national fund, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

Overall, NAR collected and distributed more than $8.3 million during the last three months. That money was used to help 1,290 victims’ families pay for housing costs.

While donations were pouring in for the housing fund, Realtors in the Greater Boston area were also writing checks for the Boys and Girls Clubs in Massachusetts.

This year, the Greater Boston Real Estate Board decided to select one group to give a one large donation, unlike previous years when the board’s five divisions contributed to several charities, said Edwin J. Shanahan, the board’s chief executive officer.

GRBEB eventually chose the Boys and Girls Clubs and presented a $101,917 check to the Boston chapter earlier this month. The Boston group will keep 60 percent and distribute 40 percent to 11 other clubs throughout the state.

The money will be used to start a new program called Trailblazers that teaches middle school students and teenagers leadership skills. Participants will be taken on educational outings and field trips to college campuses, job fairs and the nation’s capital.

Shanahan explained that each of the GBREB divisions found various ways throughout the year to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs. The Commercial Brokers Association, for example, had a golf tournament in October, while the Greater Boston Association of Realtors sought donations when they sent out invoices for membership dues.

We’re very proud of the fact that we did meet our commitment this year because with the economy sort of teetering at times throughout the year, we weren’t certain how successful we were going to be, said Shanahan.